Abhanga 173

This abhang names the catching-discipline — and it is counter-intuitive:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

The closing abhang of the gopa-shikā / yamunā-tata cluster (166-173). Where the cluster has been about Krishna's play — milk-stealing, distribution, gopis, sulking, game-design — 173 names the catching of Krishna himself.

Four claims:

1. बळें डाईं न पडे हरी — Hari does not fall in the trap by force. No coercive grasping works.
2. बुद्धि करी शाहणा तो — the wise one uses buddhi. The catch is intelligent, not forceful.
3. मोकळें देवा खेळों द्यावें — सम भावें सांपडावया — let the deva play freely, to be caught with equal-feeling. The catch happens only when the deva is not constrained. Sama-bhāva (equal-feeling, even-feeling) is the catching-medium.
4. येतो जातो वेळोवेळां, न कळे कळा सांपडती — he comes-and-goes time-after-time; the play-form cannot be understood, (yet) he is caught. Understanding is not required. Sama-bhāva across the come-and-go is sufficient.

The closing imperative: धरा ठायींच्या ठायीं, मिठी जीवीं पायीं घालुनियां — catch him in the very place itself; the embrace, soul-to-soul, garland-on-feet. ठायींच्या ठायीं — place-of-the-place — is a famous Tukaram-phrase: catch him exactly where he is, not in some abstracted elsewhere. The embrace has two simultaneous registers — soul-to-soul (the inner clasp) and garland-on-feet (the outer puja-gesture). [T]

The cluster closes here: 166 (Krishna distributes), 167 (cowards-vs-bold), 168 (post-fullness wordless-signs), 169 (gopi-discovery), 170 (mock-discipline), 171 (rūdī-sulk), 172 (game-design fix), 173 (the catching). [T]

For someone today

This abhang names the catching-discipline — and it is counter-intuitive:

1. Force does not catch. The grasping-effort fails. Stop forcing.
2. Buddhi (wisdom) catches. The catch is clever, not forceful.
3. The deity must be let play freely. If you constrain — define, demand, expect, anticipate — the deity cannot be caught. Mokaḷepaṇa (freedom) is the catching-condition.
4. Sama-bhāva — equal-feeling across come-and-go — is the catching-medium. Not delight-when-near and despair-when-far; sama across both.
5. Understanding is not required. न कळे कळा सांपडती — the play-form cannot be understood, yet he is caught. Drop the demand-for-understanding.
6. Catch at-the-place. ठायींच्या ठायीं — wherever the deity is, catch there. Not in some abstracted elsewhere; not in should-be-here. Where-actually-is.
7. Embrace is soul-and-foot together. Inner-clasp and outer-gesture. Both registers.

For today: stop forcing the deity / teacher / beloved into your expected posture. Let them play freely. Hold sama-bhāva across their come-and-go. Catch them in place-of-the-place, not in should-be. Embrace soul-and-foot.

मराठी: ही ओवी catching-discipline नाव सांगते — counter-intuitive:

1. बळाने पकडता येत नाही. grasping-effort fail होतो. Force करणं थांबवा.
2. बुद्धी पकडते. clever catch, forceful नाही.
3. देवाला मोकळं खेळू द्यावं. constrain केलं — define, demand, expect, anticipate — देव catch होऊ शकत नाही. मोकळेपणा catching-condition.
4. सम-भाव — येणं-जाणं ओलांडून equal-feeling — catching-medium. जवळ असताना delight, दूर असताना despair नको; दोन्हींकडे सम.
5. समजायला गरज नाही. न कळे कळा सांपडती. understanding-demand सोडा.
6. ठायीं पकडा. ठायींच्या ठायीं — देव जिथे आहे तिथे पकडा. abstracted elsewhere नाही; should-be-here नाही. Where-actually-is.
7. मिठी जीव-आणि-पाय दोन्ही. inner-clasp आणि outer-gesture. दोन्ही registers.

आज: देव / teacher / प्रिय ला expected posture मध्ये force करणं थांबवा. मोकळं खेळू द्या. त्यांच्या come-and-go ओलांडून सम-भाव. ठायींच्या ठायीं पकडा, should-be नाही. जीव-आणि-पाय एकत्र मिठी.

Where this applies

• Forcing the deity into expected posture. Won't catch.
• Sama-bhāva across come-and-go. The catching-medium.
• Place-of-the-place catch. Not in should-be-elsewhere.

Related verses

• Abhanga 51 — Don't cross continents looking for pilgrimage sites. The saint's feet contain every tirtha
• Abhanga 2374
• Abhanga 2377 — English: Gentle, sweet bāla-rūpa — that form from Kāḷī-time.
• Abhanga 2387